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Are there any specific things to look out for on an inland waterway during heavy weather? We don't get the waves like you blue water sailors but I'm sure there are other hazards to consider.

-Chris

On the ICW, you often have no room to maneuver. In a narrow channel, you often can't sail in 30-35 kt winds, because of the wind direction, so you have to motor. If the wind is on your beam, you'll want to stay on the windward side of the channel, so that, if you ground, the wind will, blow you free. If you stray only a few feet off the channel, you might ground, and if you ground on a shoal to leeward, the boat might get lifted and slammed down by waves. Low powered sailboats with lots of windage don't cope well with high winds under power. If you're motoring downwind, and need to turn 180 degrees and go back to windward, you might not be able to get the bow to point into the wind. As the boat tries to turn into the wind, the wind blows the bow off to leeward. If you run against a strong tidal current on the ICW in those conditions, when you're already struggling to control the boat, the current might take you where you don't want to go.

I have really enjoyed this thread. Learned a lot. Thanks to all who offered their advice, and to those who asked the questions.

Paul

03-21-2015 02:53 AM

aloof

Re: Heavy Weather Sailing

I did numerous after-race deliveries of yachts with very experienced captains in all conditions. Also some racing in brutal conditions. Experiencing the abuse boats can take, the calmness and reason of experienced captains, getting dragged sideways with rig in the water, bailing out, looking down at the cockpit from the end of a tether, and all that.

Highly recommended. However friends have circumnavigated without ever even upsetting the silverware, getting the pillows wet, or really understanding anything about navigation or boat handling.

To paraphrase from an 80's movie: "Strange game, the only way to win is not play at all". Sounds like the best idea is to run for cover and stay there.

Thank you very much for your input.

-Chris

I agree with Ausp. In general I'd much rather be offshore in the stink - lots more room. This was a squall that briefly hammered us in the Gulf with 35 knot winds - but it was coming off the land so we had plenty of sea room (and the waves were steep but manageable due to the lack of fetch):

On the other hand, sailing inland lakes sometimes gives you a place to hide when a huge squall like this comes through with 40 knots and a tornado touching down...

To paraphrase from an 80's movie: "Strange game, the only way to win is not play at all". Sounds like the best idea is to run for cover and stay there.

"How about a nice game of chess?"

A lot depends on what you are facing and where you are.

A summer afternoon Chesapeake or Long Island Sound thunderstorm would not drive me off the water. Radar helps a lot. Passengers below, Janet below but nearby, reef, and stay away from everyone else.

Same conditions on the ICW and I'll look for a place to tie up until it blows through. If not reasonable, radar again, and hunker down.

For larger storms (local weather forecasting at least, hopefully smartphone weather radar, and at best radar on the boat) I find someplace to tuck in. The good news is that the bigger the storm the more notice you have and therefore the more preparations you can make.

Waves in shallow water will be shorter and much less pleasant. You are more likely to have other traffic nearby. Tugs and barges in high winds deserve MUCH more clearance - lots of sail area over which they have no control. In really bad weather there is a higher risk of flying debris. Get your own decks clear to reduce windage as you will have less maneuverability also. The anchoring process is more challenging in heavy weather and more prone to error. Reduction in visibility is the same but with more traffic a bigger deal. You are much much more likely to encounter someone else that has no foggy idea what they are doing. You are more likely to hear a call for help and feel obliged to assist. There are hard bits of material around the edges of pretty much everything that can poke holes in your boat. Running aground is really bad.

I'll take offshore any day.

I hope this helps. I'm not sure how....

To paraphrase from an 80's movie: "Strange game, the only way to win is not play at all". Sounds like the best idea is to run for cover and stay there.

Thank you very much for your input.

-Chris

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